BELIZE
RAINFOREST, REEF, & TIKAL RUINS WORKSHOP
JULY 2005
Neotropical Fish
The coral reef is a habitat for over 220 types of fish, as well as hundreds of invertebrate species. It is known worldwide for its pristine beauty and diversity of marine life, with extraordinary movement, action and color. This single group of animals, though endless in variety, includes Butterfly Fish, Angelfish, Damsel Fish, Squirrel Fish, Parrot Fish, as well as Groupers, Grunts, Pipefish, Snake Eels and Scorpion Fish. In this workshop, we examine how fish have adapted to survive in their environment. What do we look for in observing marine animals underwater? We can often identify fish by what they are doing. What fin does a fish use for locomotion? Is the fish traveling alone or in a school? Many fish are trying to hide, others have bright warning colors, and some fish are camouflaged. The reef and rainforest are really quite similar. All organisms are engaged in a quest to survive.
Reef Ecology
Second in size only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Belize Barrier Reef is 195 miles in length and the longest unbroken living reef on Earth. The protected reef provides calm waters that are excellent for snorkeling. The reef is a complex, wave-resistant structure built almost entirely by biological activity, in warm shallow tropical waters. Despite their diverse forms, all reefs share some basic characteristics. They are structures of various shapes rising above the level of the adjacent sea floor, constructed by and consisting mainly of organisms. A trip from west (lagoon side) to east (ocean side) across the Belizean reef complex reveals a distinct zonation of substrates and organisms that reflects the subtle environmental changes due to water depth and prevailing current and wave patterns, which affect temperature, salinity, light, sedimentation and mechanical stress. In this workshop we examine the three basic zones - back reef, reef crest and fore reef - and discuss coral bleaching and other current environmental problems.
Archaeology and the Ancient Maya
While our study of archaeology includes several sites during our workshop, there is no more impressive site to get perspective on the grandeur and details of the ancient Maya civilization than at Tikal. It is estimated that 1 million people worked over a thousand-year period to build this Maya city. You’ll see limestone friezes identifying the entity to whom each temple was dedicated; stone altars for ritual sacrifice; chiseled tablets, called stelae, that memoralize a noble or provide a calendar to chronicle the movement of the stars; and tombs of the Kings of Tikal. Our workshop includes the study of Maya symbols and hieroglyphs; human organization and environmental issues; how archaeologists understand the functions of ancient buildings and cities; the process of mapping, excavating and investigating cultural histories; how new technology helps speed up archaeological surveys; the integration of the political and economic systems of larger Maya city-states; and how anthropologists and archaeologists have reconstructed the past so that we might understand the dynamics of changes which occurred in Maya civilization.
Life Zones and Biodiversity
The combination of continuous moisture, high levels of solar radiation and warm temperatures creates an ideal environment for supporting a diverse community of fungal, plant, and animal species. The community can be divided into different layers—the forest floor, the emergent layer and the understory—each serving as a habitat and containing species of flora and fauna that are specific to it. Our study of rainforest biodiversity begins at Pook’s Hill and continues in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, home to such animals as Baird's Tapir, Puma, Ocelot, White-nosed Coatimundi, Paca, Northern Tamandua and others. Startled iguanas often splash 20 feet into the water from overhanging branches and Howler Monkeys lounge in the treetops. The sanctuary also provides habitat for multitudes of bird species. These include King Vulture, Keel-billed Toucan, Collared Aracari, Emerald Toucanet, Keel-billed Motmot and White-necked Jacobin, as well as many parrots, hummingbirds, tanagers, flycatchers and finches.
Tropical Rainforest Ecology
The word "ecology" refers to the study of living organisms, their relationships to each other, and to their non-living environment. In the complex rainforest ecosystem, the struggle for survival is especially intense. This workshop will take participants into the rainforest to witness the structure and function of its living components. Comparisons will be made between primary rainforest and secondary growth. The Cpclscp,b Basom is an excellent place to study ecology, thanks to its high species diversity and dense canopy with tall, heavily buttressed trees covered with lianas and epiphytes interspersed with Cohune Palm, Balsa and Mayflower.
Beach Ecology
We briefly study the herbaceous beach vegetation and mixed forest of the sandbar ridge lying behind the beach. Typical species in these zones are Seaside Bean, West Indian Sea Lavender, Spurge, Seagrage, Saltwater Palmetto, Black Poisonwood, Craboo and Fiddlewood. Above the high tide zone, but still confined to the dry sandy dunes, is an association of plants including Goatsfoot, Morning Glory and Sea Oats. Most plants represented are from genera well known along southern Atlantic beaches. In some areas called Cocotal, the dunes may be taken over almost exclusively by coconut palms. Inland from the sandbar, the sand gets covered with a thin layer of peat and forms a swamp forest, which includes Mangrove Fern, Coco Plum, Pond Apple, Provision and Bullet Trees before transitioning into large areas of Sedge Marsh.
Medicinal Plants
Tropical forests are the last great storehouse of natural pharmaceuticals. As much as 40 percent of all our extracts used to produce medicines originate in the tropical rainforest. Diosgenin, ipecacuanha root, reserpine, quinine and quassia are only a few of the many naturally occurring drugs found in the roots, leaves, stems and bark of rainforest plants. Local practices often provide clues to the potential value of plant extracts. The Maya medical system intermingles the physical and supernatural worlds to create what is called a medico-religious system. We see many examples of this integration in the way that plants are named, used and revered. During our visits to the rainforest, local communities and the Maya Center, we learn about medicinal plants and their use by both indigenous people and Western pharmaceutical companies.
Mangrove Ecology
The mangrove community is a transition zone between the marine and dry land environments and is very important for stabilizing the coastal lands. Mangroves are easily recognized by their arching prop roots and dangling cigar-shaped seedlings. Found along the seacoast, they are very salt tolerant and provide a unique substrate for a great variety of epiphytes, lichens and marine algae. In this workshop, we explore sea grass beds and mangrove habitats. Sea grass is considered the "bread basket" in tropical island ecosystems, and the mangroves are viewed as the "nurseries." Birds feed in the mangroves and use them for nesting and nighttime perching. At various stages of their life cycle, many species of fish and invertebrates take advantage of the cover and high productivity of the mangroves to enhance their survival and growth.
Neotropical Mammals
Our study of mammals begins at the Belize Zoo and continues through Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. This unique sanctuary in southern Belize covers an area of about 150 square miles of tropical forest and is the world’s only Jaguar preserve. Declared a Forest Preserve in 1984, and finally a Jaguar preserve in 1986, the park is the culmination of many years of work and perseverance by individuals, as well as national and international organizations. The Jaguar is the third largest member of the cat family and is endangered in most of its range. Here at Cockscomb, the Jaguar is doing well and is by no means the only beneficiary of the safety provided by the preserve. Other cats such as Puma, Ocelot, Jaguarundi and Margay, as well as Peccary, Paca, Brocket Deer, Tayra, Otter and Coatimundi enjoy a population density difficult to achieve in most locations.
Geologic History, Geology and Soils
The land that includes Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and parts of Belize did not appear until approximately four million years ago, when the isthmus of Panama lifted up from the ocean depths to connect existing volcanic islands to form Central America. As we travel toward the sea, soil composition changes from limestone to the granite base of the Cockscomb Basin. The influence of sand deposits by the sea and clay deposits by the Sittee River, with frequent mixing of the two, creates a complicated soil pattern near the coast. South Stann Creek originates in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and flows 12 miles to the sea. The roots of the plants and trees along the river help to keep the hard rains from washing the shallow tropical soils into the river. This workshop examines how the actions of wind, water and air, through erosion, sedimentation and chemical reaction, have created the many soils, caves and other land formations. Most importantly, we investigate how the health of the coral reef is related to environmental conditions on land.
Neotropical Birds and Migration
The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is a fascinating place to identify hummingbirds, which are attracted by heliconia plants along streams, banks of rivers, and other sunlit areas. There are more than 300 resident bird species in Belize and at least another 200 species migrate from North America to over-winter along the winding rivers of the jungle lowlands. It is common to see Pygmy Kingfisher, Northern Jacana, Snail Kite and Rufous-tailed Jacamar. Neotropical migrants are under increasing pressure as a result of habitat loss throughout the tropics. Recent research indicates drastic declines of 18 species of these migrants over the last 25 years. The Golden-cheeked Warbler, a species occasionally found in Belize, has recently been added to the U.S. endangered species list. Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary protects habitats for many of these species such as Least Flycatcher, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Woodthrush, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Worm-eating Warbler and many others.
Belizean Peoples and Cultures
There are approximately 280,000 people in Belize, half of whom live in cities and towns along the coast. The original inhabitants of Belize were Pre-ceramic hunters and gatherers. The Maya Indians populated the area from 2000 BC until the Spanish Conquest in the 1500s. Maya citizens, who once made up 100 percent of the population, represent only about 15 percent of Belize’s present population. Why did Belize’s population change? As a British colony, Belize was made up of pirates, lumbermen and their slaves. Assimilation occurred with the neighboring Spanish, Mexican and Indian populations. Today the population is comprised of various major ethnic groups including Creole, East Indian, Carib, Mennonite, Garifuna, and Maya Indian. During the workshop we will look at the relationships among these peoples and their fragile environment.